A Chance to Dance – Gala Show

Sunday 23 June – Review by Mark Beechey

The 10th Anniversary “A Chance to Dance” Gala Show at Bournemouth’s Pavilion Theatre was outstanding from start to finish.

Produced and directed by Denise Booth, she and her team pulled out all the stops and we were entertained by the best of the South’s dance and theatre schools.

After an introduction by Patron, Bonnie Langford, The Studio One dancers opened the show with their energetic and beautifully costumed ‘Enough is Enough,’ choreographed by Katie Knight.

The dramatic Palladio routine from the Emma Castle Dancers stood out, as did the playful 1920s’ Movie Magic from the Julie Adams Stage School. I also enjoyed the street dance from Mad4Dance with their stop bullying message and The Studio One Acrobatic Team performed a Cirque routine which was outstanding with discipline and poise.

There were also wonderful performances from Footlight Performance Academy, Katrina Earley School of Dance, Showbiz Academy and The New Forest School of Dance.

It was also encouraging to see the event supported by Toness School of Dance and Petite School of Dancing from Baisingstoke. Costumes were brilliant – my favourites being Skrek the Musical (Studio One) and Avatar (Julie Adams Stage School).

After a finale with all 350 students singing ‘We go Together’ from Grease, Denise Booth presented flowers to the school principals and emphasised to the audience the importance of choosing a dance school whose teachers hold accredited qualifications.

Next year’s show is on Sunday 6 July 2014.